Mary's Meadow, and Other Tales of Fields and Flowers

y marriage, and Mother is one of

she would mind her own business instead. Father says so, though Mother would say that that is gossip. But I think sometimes that Mother i

ther did not mind. He says our house will hold together much longer than most houses, because he swore at the workmen, and went to law with the builder for using dirt instead of mortar, so the builder had to pull down what was do

hen we have to be very quiet, and keep out of the way; and sometimes he goes out rather cr

, and "going Fantee;" and James gave him a lot of old corks out of the pantry, and let him burn them in a candle. It rained, and we could not go out; so we all blacked our faces with burnt cork, and played at the West Coast in o

gs on to them, and just at that minute he shouted, "I go Fantee!" and tore his pinafore right up the middle, and burst into the front hall with it hanging in two p

bed, and not allowed to go down to dessert; and Lady

as it, Chris? Tell Aunt Catherine." Mother thought he would say, "Because I tore my pinafore, and made a noise in the front hall." But

arge for his body, with some water having got into his brain when he was very little, so that we have to take care

that trespass against you; and Mother said if you make yourself do right, then at last you get to feel right; and it was very soon after this that Harry a

him in the toy-cupboard, looking rather pale and very large-hea

I could only just hear what he was say

and feels a

u doing, Chr

top to give to Harry. Dos

"Christopher, yo

said it in just the same sing-song tone-"but I'm ge

on winding a

sooner than he expected. Harry wouldn't ta

think he is also a little sly. He can make ve

why he was so naughty about having his face washed, and he said, quite gravely, "I do think it would be such pity if the water got into my head again by accident." Mother did not kn

nd of her; and they say quite rude things to each other all along. And Father says it is very lucky, for if she had not been so fond of Ch

hat a cat has nine lives, and a woman has only one; and then Mother got worse, and Aunt Catherine wanted to take her abroad, and she wouldn't go; and then Christopher was ill, and Aunt Catherine said she would take him too, if only Mother would

should all try to please Father, and to be unselfish with each other; but she expected me to try far harder than the other

m all about it, and he looked very sorry. Then we said that he should be our brother in Christopher's stead, whilst Chris was away;

think it was his fault.

Old Squire's stables, and Saxon smelt us, and we could hea

nks he smells tramps and wants to bite them. He doesn't know that Saxon smells his n